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A lot of people love to sweep and mop their hard floors — it's a familiar process, after all. Yet, a broom can't quite suction debris the way a vacuum can, and mops tend to push grime around the floor and even harbor bacteria. So, what if you could vacuum and mop your floor at the same time in a more efficient, thorough, and clean manner? You can with the wet-dry vacuum, a product that functions like a vacuum and a mop.
Whether designed as an upright vacuum or a robot vacuum, wet-dry vacuums cut your cleaning process in half by vacuuming and mopping your floors at the same time, resulting in a deeper clean. In some cases, they can also clean your rugs. In my testing experience, I've found that many of the best wet-dry vacuums are just as, if not more, efficient than the best vacuums and mops on the market.
We tested the most buzzy wet-dry vacuums on the market for this guide, examining everything from how easy they are to use to their battery life, cleaning ability, self-cleaning systems, smart features, and clean and dirty water tank capacities. During our testing process, we used wet-dry vacuums to clean floors dirtied by cereal, coffee grounds, dried ketchup, and even barbecue sauce. At the top of the list is the Tineco Floor One S7 Pro, a wet-dry vacuum with a high-tech LCD display that shows you which cleaning mode you're using and notifies you when the floor is dirty and clean. Despite having a high price tag, we can't stop raving about the phenomenal edge cleaning of the Tineco and, ultimately, how it keeps our floors incredibly clean. On the other end of the price range is the Eureka New400 Cordless Wet Dry Vacuum, our budget pick. It reminds us that wet-dry vacuums don't have to be complicated or expensive to clean hard floors well.
Our top picks for the best wet-dry vacuums
Best overall: Tineco Floor One S7 Pro - See at Amazon
Best budget: Eureka NEW400 Wet Dry Vacuum - See at Amazon
Best for pets: Bissell Crosswave Pet Pro Multi-Surface Wet Dry Vacuum Cleaner - See at Amazon
Easiest to clean: Narwal S20 - See at Amazon
Easiest to maneuver: Shark HydroVac Messmaster Cordless - See at Amazon
Most versatile: Ecowell Lulu Quick Clean P05- See at Walmart
Best robot: Roborock Q Revo Robot Vacuum & Mop - See at Amazon
Best overall
The Tineco Floor One S7 Pro reigns supreme with its excellent performance, auto dirt detection system, high-tech LCD screen with an assistant, and brushroll drying capabilities.
- Four cleaning modes
- iLoop Smart Sensor informs users when the floor is clean
- Self-cleaning system also air dries brush roll
- LCD screen with a Tineco Assistant that offers guidance
- Very expensive
- Can’t be used on rugs
The high price tag on the Tineco Floor One S7 Pro might make you pause, but when you get this wet-dry vacuum in your hands, you'll see what the fuss is about. Tineco leads the way when it comes to the best mop-vacs. I've previously tested its predecessor, the Tineco Floor One S5, and was thoroughly impressed with its cleaning capability (the price wasn't too bad either). However, I noticed a few updates when I got my hands on the upgraded S7 Pro. The materials alone are more deluxe and better quality, from thick rubber wheels to the hard plastic body that looks like wood. Then there's the LCD screen that is outfitted with a Tineco Assistant, an animated character that utilizes instructional videos to show you how to set up and use the wet-dry vacuum. It informs you of everything from battery power to self-cleaning measures to take.
The self-propelling feature and a swiveling head make it easy to maneuver this wet-dry vacuum and reach tight spaces without having to move furniture. Edge cleaning has been improved on both sides of the vacuum head so that it reaches within one centimeter of a baseboard. The iLoop Smart Sensor detects dirt and stains on the floor that even the headlights can't show you and increases the suction as you go over the area. A "loop" on the LCD screen is colored red when the floor is dirty and then turns blue when the floor is clean. Most substances only need one pass, sometimes two, with the Tineco before the loop turns blue.
Switch between the four modes — auto, max, ultra, and suction — with a button on the handle. Max and ultra provide more water for tough stains, and the suction mode sucks up liquid spills. It generally took only one or two passes of the Tineco Floor One S7 Pro to pick up any kind of debris, liquid, or stain. I can verify that the dirty water tank was full of dark brown liquid by the end, which is both gross and highly satisfying.
There are two self-cleaning modes: a quick one that takes two minutes and a super self-cleaning mode that takes six minutes. The brush roll is also dried in this process, another upgrade from the Tineco S5. The battery lasted much longer than I needed to clean my house, and the clean water tank wasn't empty either. If only it could clean rugs.
Read our full Tineco Floor One S7 Pro review.
Best budget
The Eureka NEW400 Wet Dry Vacuum is a self-propelled wet-dry vacuum that picks up dirt, debris, and liquid messes fairly well for a budget pick.
- Great price
- Self-propelled
- Saves power when put in upright position
- Average battery runtime
- Clean and dirty water tanks empty and fill quickly
Wet-dry vacuums are finally becoming more affordable without having to compromise on cleaning performance. The Eureka NEW400 Wet Dry can be used on all hard floor surfaces and is self-propelled with good water output. The edge cleaning and cleaning capability along the front of the vacuum head is a bit average in that there's about an inch of dry floor between the vacuum head and the wall. It picked up larger debris like cereal in one pass and dirt, coffee grounds, and liquid in two passes. More gooey substances, especially if they'd hardened on the floor, needed three to five passes of the vacuum to clean them thoroughly.
The battery lasts about 25 minutes, which was not long enough to get through my 1600-square-foot home. At least it saves battery when I paused cleaning and put it back upright. It takes about five hours for the battery to fully charge. The dirty water tank fills quickly, which means the clean water tank empties quickly.
The self-cleaning system is decent but not perfect by any means. I had to remove some hair and debris from the brush roll by hand. While we might not accept some of these drawbacks for more expensive wet-dry vacuums, it really isn't too much of a hassle to dispense dirty water and add clean water. It's worth noting that every single vacuum on this list requires some additional hand cleaning of brush rolls, filters, and the vacuum head, even after using the self-cleaning system, just to put things in perspective.
For an extra $70, you could upgrade to the Eureka Cordless Wet Dry Cleaner and enjoy larger clean and dirty water tanks and more technological features, like a battery life notification screen and three different cleaning modes (ECO, Dry, and Turbo). Through testing, we found that it did far better in terms of cleaning than its cheaper counterpart and even discovered it has a self-drying feature.
Best for pets
Give those hard floors and rugs that have been impacted by your pets a deep clean with the Bissell Crosswave Pet Pro Multi-Surface Wet Dry Vac. It may be corded and has a wonky manual cleaning system, but it’ll keep most pet hair separate from the dirty water for an easier clean-up.
- Cleans hard floors and rugs
- Choose water and solution output with trigger
- Pet hair strainer catches dirt, debris, and hair for easy clean-up
- Cord limits movement
- Poor self-cleaning system
- Holding the on-demand formula trigger is tiresome
The Bissell Crosswave Pet Pro Multi-Surface Wet Dry Vac may be corded and lacks self-propulsion, but it's particularly adept at cleaning. This wet-dry vacuum can vacuum and mop both hard floors and rugs and comes with multiple brush rolls and cleaning solutions for different floor types, including a tangle-free brush roll. Unlike some of the other wet-dry vacuums on this list, you control the amount of water and solution output with a trigger located on the handle. It's a bit tiresome to press the trigger, but pet owners may like the control over choosing how much water and solution is used to deep clean floors and rugs that may be more impacted by a pet.
The Bissell Crosswave Pet Pro fits easily under cabinets and has great edge cleaning. However, it doesn't do well picking up debris when going backward and could do better at suctioning water from the floor. It often left hard floors more wet (compared to the other wet-dry vacuums I tested), which indicates that it will take longer for floors to dry.
When using the Bissell, you'll want to clean your rug first so that you know you're not bringing dirt and grime from hard floors onto the rug. A pet hair strainer inside the dirty water tank keeps pet hair and debris from mixing with the dirty water and makes it easily disposable.
Unfortunately, the cleaning process is probably the most involved among the units I tired and not really a self-cleaning system in the traditional sense. You have to place the Bissell on the base, pour water on the base, and then turn on the machine and lean it backward so that the vacuum suctions the water from the base through the vacuum head. Bissell suggested you do this multiple times to clean the brush roll, but that was ineffective, and I had to hand wash the brush roll to get it clean.
Easiest to clean
The Narwal S20 Pro has five cleaning modes, can detect dirt on hard floors, and has a phenomenal self-cleaning and self-drying system.
- Dirt detect capabilities
- 5 cleaning modes
- Phenomenal edge cleaning and can lay flat
- Separates debris from dirty water tank
- Self-cleaning and self-drying
- Shorter warranty
- Small dirty water tank
Though the Narwal S20 Pro is angled as my "Easiest to Clean" pick, it's actually my second favorite wet-dry vacuum that I've ever tested. The Narwal S20 Pro sports a slightly different design than most: the clean water tank is found on the backside of the vacuum head, and there's an opening for detergent (a bottle is provided) atop the vacuum head. The LCD is smaller than others, but it clearly displays the various cleaning modes and self-cleaning instructions.
I'm glad to report that the Narwal S20 Pro has a smart dirt-detection feature. This means the vacuum adjusts the suction and mopping capabilities depending on how dirty the floor is. I ran most of my tests in the smart dirt detect mode and found that it did a fantastic job cleaning all substances from hardwood and laminate floors in a single pass. Not only did the battery last 37 minutes, but the dirty water tank didn't need to be emptied until the 21-minute mark, the exact moment I was done cleaning my entire home. The clean water tank lasted 34 minutes.
The Narwal S20 Pro's edge cleaning is better than any other wet-dry vacuum I have tested. There was no dry space between the side of the vacuum and the wall, and only a quarter of an inch of dry space between the front of the vacuum head and the wall. The only drawback I found in the cleaning capabilities was when I tried to clean in reverse, and coffee and cereal got stuck behind the wheels.
Although I prefer the smart dirt detect mode, there is a turbo mode, quiet mode (low noise mode), and max mode. The max mode can only be utilized when you hold the trigger constantly. Only one mode is automatic, and it occurred when I leaned the handle to the ground 180 degrees to clean under my bed and other furniture. When the Narwal S20 Pro is in this position, it automatically increases the suction and mopping capabilities because it knows you're likely cleaning in an area that is dustier and harder to reach.
When it comes to the cleaning process, I appreciated that the dirty water tank separated debris from the dirty water. With the cleaning brush provided, I was able to remove the debris in the trash and not dump it down the drain with the dirty water, as is the case with many other wet-dry vacuums. This vacuum is outfitted with self-cleaning and self-drying features, too. There wasn't any dirt or debris under the vacuum head after the self-cleaning cycle. Most of the time, I'll find dust and some hair under the vacuum head, so this leads me to believe that the self-cleaning feature is thorough. The brushrolls were completely dry an hour after I ran the self-drying cycle. Again, this doesn't usually happen with most wet-dry vacuums, cementing its spot as a top recommendation for its hands-off cleaning approach.
Easiest to maneuver
The Shark HydroVac Messmaster Cordless wet-dry vacuum can clean hard floors and rugs and is so lightweight that maneuvering it around your home is easy.
- Super lightweight
- LED headlights
- Can clean hard floors and rugs
- Ran out of clean water after 12 minutes
- No dirt detection technology
At 8.46 pounds, the Shark HydroVac Messmaster Cordless wet-dry vacuum is easy to maneuver around your home, and with LED lights, you can clean better in low-lit areas. You'll find both of these positive features helpful when using this wet-dry vacuum, especially since the Shark HydroVac Messmaster doesn't have a dirt detection system and the battery lasts only 25 minutes. It should be noted that I wasn't quite able to clean my 1,600-square-foot house in 25 minutes and that the clean water tank ran out at the 12-minute mark, making this better suited for smaller homes. At least I was able to recharge the battery enough within 30 minutes to finish cleaning my house.
One of the other most notable features of this wet-dry vacuum is that you can use it on hard floors and rugs. When testing the vacuum on my rugs, it didn't leave behind a lot of water, which makes me inclined to believe that it'll only lightly wash your rugs. For a deeper clean, you'll have to go with the Ecowell Lulu Quick Clean P05 or a heavy-duty carpet cleaner.
While the Shark HydroVac Messmaster aptly vacuumed and mopped away debris like leaves, hair, soda, and some bits of cereal on any floor type, it struggled to clean thicker substances like barbecue sauce, syrup, and dried ketchup from hard floors. I had to go over these substances multiple times so there wouldn't be any leftover residue. I should note that coffee and larger debris like cereal often got caught behind the wheels when vacuuming backward.
Although the Shark HydroVac Messmaster Cordless doesn't have a self-drying system, it does have a self-cleaning system. There is a debris catcher within the dirty water tank, and even though it doesn't catch everything, it does catch most of the debris. A cleaning brush would've made it easier to clean the debris catcher, but one was not provided.
The Shark HydroVac Messmaster is also the next generation of the HydroVac Pro XL, which we've also reviewed. The specs are essentially the same; just the body colors changed, and there is now a boost mode. In our testing, we did find the battery lasted just a bit longer, but there were no real innovation upgrades here.
Most versatile
Clean hard floors and rugs thoroughly with the decently-priced Ecowell Lulu Quick Clean P05. It has great edge cleaning, different cleaning modes, and a good battery life.
- Decent price
- Self-propel system
- Can clean hard floors and rugs
- Self-cleaning and self-drying system
- Doesn’t include cleaning solution
- Doesn’t turn off when stood upright
The Ecowell Lulu Quick Clean P05 can be used on hard floors and rugs which makes it particularly versatile. Although it doesn't come with a cleaning solution, this self-propelled wet-dry vacuum has the right kind of water output that doesn't soak your hard floors or your rugs — even when you're in Max mode. You can always use the extra water trigger if you need more water.
The edge cleaning is phenomenal, and the Ecowell Lulu picks up debris just as well going forward as it does backward on all types of floors. To be clear, when used on area rugs, this wet-dry vacuum suctions debris at the same time that it cleans the rug with water. Performance-wise, the Ecowell Lulu Quick Clean P05 picked up debris of all sizes with one or two passes on any floor type. Viscous substances took two to three passes, while liquids took one pass for the wet-dry vacuum to suction it up.
I wish the machine turned off when stood upright and that it had the capability to lean further back so it could reach more areas under beds and shelves. The battery lasted about 30 minutes, and I still had a little bit of water left in the tank by the time the battery died. The Ecowell Lulu has both a self-cleaning system and a self-drying system, the latter of which is a feature typically found on pricier models. You'll have to press two separate buttons at the same time to start them up. Overall, we believe you get a lot of bang for your buck with the Ecowell Lulu Quick Clean P05.
Best robot
The Roborock Q Revo mops and vacuums at the same time in a gridded pattern so nary a spot is missed and has a hands-off self-cleaning system that auto empties plus washes and dries mop pads.
- Spot cleaning and zone cleaning capabilities A hands-off self-cleaning system with air-drying
- Ability to lift mop pads and climb over high thresholds
- Quick 3D and 2D mapping
- Long battery life
- A hands-off self-cleaning system with air-drying
- Doesn’t connect to 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks
- Washes mop pads with cold water
When I first wrote this guide, I initially chose the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni as my favorite wet-dry robot vacuum. However, since then, I've consistently been using the Roborock Q Revo in my home. Despite being the more affordable of the two with fewer high-tech features, I've come to prefer it over the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni.
The Roborock Q Revo quickly maps your home within an app, where you can schedule a full cleaning or specify certain rooms or zones in your house for the Roborock Q Revo to clean. Not only can I customize how I want the robot to clean each room, but I can choose to have it vacuum and mop at the same time or do one function or the other. This also means I can adjust the suction power and water flow, how many times the robot cleans a room, and the type of route I want it to take. I prefer to have the Roborock Q Revo clean in an up-and-down pattern, so I know that a spot was not missed. You can even set the robot to clean in a manner that follows the floor seams of your hard floors to prevent potential scraping (to be clear, I've never noticed any scraping or scratches when I haven't had this setting ticked). In the app, I can also create no-go zones so that the robot won't clean certain areas.
The Roborock Q Revo is a rockstar when it comes to vacuuming fine materials like flour and larger debris like Cheerios from rugs. On laminate and hardwood floors, I found that it's best to use a higher suction power than the standard one (called "Balanced" in the app) to pick up fine materials like flour. This is only the case when I'm using the robot as just a vacuum. When using the vacuum and mop features at the same time, the Roborock completely cleaned up all the flour. For stickier substances, the robot does require one to two passes. At least it doesn't leave a lot of water on the floor, which I appreciate since I have historic hardwood floors.
Most importantly, I've seen the robot seemingly improve in various ways since I first began using it. The Roborock Q Revo doesn't get stuck on the legs of my armchair as it once did, and it can climb all but one of my thresholds in my house with ease (I've not found a robot that can climb that final threshold). If at any point the vacuum disconnects from the WiFi (say if I unplug it from the wall for a long period of time), it connects a lot more easily than it did when I originally tested it.
The battery lasts about 140 minutes. If the robot needs to recharge during a cleaning session, it'll return to the charging base and then finish the cleaning job when it's powered back up. The charging base also doubles as a hands-free self-cleaning base that pulls dirt and debris from the robot and stores it in the base, as well as cleans and dries the mop pads. Even though it only uses cold water to clean the mop pads, at least it will clean the pads every 10-25 minutes (based on my settings) ensuring that the pads aren't pushing around dirt and grime on clean areas of the house.
Read our full RoboRock Q Revo review.
What else we tested
What we recommend
- Tineco Floor One S5: The Tineco Floor One S5 is the more affordable counterpart of the Tineco Floor One S7 Pro. It has many of the same features, including a dirt detection system, voice assistant, app connectivity, and a self-cleaning cycle. The LCD screen may not be as high-tech as the S7 Pro, and the S5 lacks a self-drying system, but at least it cleans just as well.
- Dreame H12 Pro Wet Dry Vac Mop: Even with favorable features like a dirt detect system and a great battery life of 40 minutes, the Dreame H12 Pro Wet Dry Vac Mop does an average job of cleaning of messes and generally requires users to fill up the clean water tank 2-3 times in one session. At least it excels in reverse cleaning and is well-priced.
- HiZero Bionic Floor Cleaner: The HiZero Bionic Floor Cleaner is a futuristic-looking wet-dry vacuum that stands out for its spongy polymer roller that 'licks up' dirt, debris, liquids and solids. Not to mention, HiZero puts dirt and debris into its own trash bin separate from the dirty water tank, which makes clean up a lot easier.
- Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni: This high-tech wet-dry robot vacuum offers more than you'd expect — like a responsive voice assistant, a live camera, and a hands-free self-cleaning system with hot water washing. Through the app, you can customize and schedule the cleaning of your home or even guide the robot to clean specific rooms and spots. I did struggle with a few technical glitches and sometimes the mop pads were too close for comfort on carpets. Read our full Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni review.
- Narwal Freo X Ultra: The Narwal is another powerhouse of a mopping robot with a fully automatic cleaning system with heated cleaning and a disinfecting setting, but be prepared to shell out. It's scrubbing and mopping performance was impressive, with the ability to detect extra dirty spots and give them another clean. When vacuuming, it had no trouble picking up debris and made satisfying vacuuming lines in the carpet. However, its corner and edge cleaning needed some attention. It's also one of the quietist robovacs we've used and despite having a base station, utilizes a compacting dust system that remains on the robot instead of loudly transferring to the base. Read our full Narwal x Freo Ultra review.
What we don't recommend
- Hoover Streamline Hard Floor Wet Dry Vacuum with Hand Vacuum: Despite being one of the simpler wet-dry vacuums we tested, this Hoover is priced higher than we expected. Not only is it corded, and you have to hold the water trigger the entire time you clean, but you'll likely have to empty the dirty water tank multiple times in one session.
- Black + Decker Wet Dry Vacuum: The Black + Decker Wet Dry Vacuum is a budget buy that doesn't quite live up to what you expect from the brand. Despite cleaning most debris and substances well (besides dried substances like ketchup), the product is clunky, difficult to maneuver, and has poor edge cleaning.
What to look for when choosing a wet-dry vacuum
Multiple cleaning modes: The first thing you want to look for when buying a wet-dry vacuum is what kind of flooring it is designed to clean. Most can be used on any kind of hard flooring, though some may have settings designed for wood flooring. Some can be used on rugs, which is a great bonus. From there, check to see if the wet-dry vacuum is outfitted with different cleaning modes, like a max or boost mode, that allows more water and power output for a deeper clean. Some wet-dry vacuums have eco modes that save battery. In particular, you'll want a wet-dry vacuum that has the ability to suction liquid off the floor.
Power source: While most wet-dry vacuums are battery-powered, some are still corded. Ask yourself if an unlimited power source is most important to you or if you don't want the hassle of a cord. Look into how long the power cord is, and if it's battery-powered, the battery runtime. Be wary of brands that don't provide a battery runtime, as it generally indicates it's on the lower end.
Edge cleaning capabilities: How well a wet-dry vacuum can clean along the edges of the vacuum head is important. During our testing, we noticed that some vacuum heads leave a dry strip of floor half an inch or a full inch between the front of a vacuum head and the wall. Alternatively, if you went along the wall with the side of the vacuum and utilized edge cleaning, that dry strip of flooring might only be a centimeter in width. This is why edge cleaning is such an important element of a wet-dry vacuum. Otherwise, you'd be pulling out your mop to get those tight corners.
Self-cleaning systems: It may seem like all wet-dry vacuums have a self-cleaning system, but some are better than others. For instance, the Deebot X2 Omni has the best system among those listed above because it's entirely hands-free. It uses hot water to wash the mop pads, puts the dirty water in a tank, and even dries the mop pads, on top of removing the dirt and debris into a sealed bag in the docking station. Comparatively, the Bissell Crosswave Pet Pro was the most involved because it requires you to put water in the docking station and then hold the machine at a certain angle while it pulls water through the vacuum head. At least Bissell tries to separate pet hair from the dirty water with a pet hair filter in the dirty water tank. Look for wet-dry vacuums that separate dirt and debris completely from the dirty water tank, like the Hizero, as it makes the cleanup process easier. Just remember that no matter the wet-dry vacuum, even if it has a self-cleaning and self-drying system, you'll need to promptly empty the dirty water tank, double check to make sure there isn't hair or dust stuck on the brush roll or in the vacuum head (there usually is), clean the air filter, and let the brush roll and air filter air dry for a whole day to avoid mildew growth.
Dirt-detect features: No matter if the wet-dry vacuum has an LED headlight or not, it can still be hard to detect dirt or stains on a floor. This is why wet-dry vacuums with dirt-detecting sensors are the most ideal, but they are a sophisticated feature that costs a premium. Such wet-dry vacuums not only increase the suction when the floor is particularly dirty, but they'll also inform you — usually by colored lights on a digital or LCD display — that the floor is either clean or dirty and requires a few more passes of the vacuum or more water output to clean a stain.
How we tested the best wet-dry vacuums
I tested 15 wet-dry vacuums over the course of two months in my house, my parent's house, and even my brother's home so that I could try them out on various floor types, including tile, laminate flooring, rugs, and a mix of modern and historic hardwood flooring. I evaluated them according to the parameters detailed below. In addition to my own personal testing experience, I also received feedback from Marla Mock, president of Molly Maid, a Neighborly company, about what to look for in wet-dry vacuums and how to best use and take care of them.
Vacuuming and mopping ability: We tested each wet-dry vacuum for how well they picked up debris going forward and backward and along the front and edges of the vacuum head on different hard floor surfaces and rugs (if they could be used on rugs). Each wet-dry vacuum was used to clean various items or liquids like ketchup, mustard, cereal, hair, coffee grounds, and liquids. We paid special attention to how many passes it took to clean something off a floor, the suction capability, and the water output.
Battery runtime: Just because a brand says its product has a certain battery runtime doesn't mean that the battery will last that long. With each wet-dry vacuum, we monitored the battery runtime when it was used in the regular auto mode. Through subsequent uses, we also got a feel for how well the battery did on max or eco modes and kept that in mind when writing this guide.
Water tank capacity: Wet-dry vacuums have clean and dirty water tanks. It was imperative to test their capacity, for as Marla Mock, President of Molly Maid, says, "Larger [dirty water] tanks hold more liquid and debris, reducing the frequency of how many times you may have to empty the tank." Not only did we pay attention to how quickly the dirty water tank filled up, but we also took note of how many times we had to refill the clean water tank. While it's not too big of a hassle to empty dirty tanks or refill clean ones, they do interrupt the cleaning process. Dirty water tanks that fill too quickly could also indicate an excessive water output or some other issue with the machine.
Comfort and ease of use: A cleaning tool should be easy and comfortable to use, which is why this was an important feature to consider during testing. We compared wet-dry vacuums that had self-propulsion features and those that didn't, as well as paid attention to the way the vacuum heads swiveled, the smoothness of the wheels, grip, etc. Some were outfitted with apps or voice assistants that could make the wet-dry vacuums easier to use. We made sure that the technology wasn't too complicated for the average user to figure out.
Clean-up and maintenance: Perhaps the biggest drawback to wet-dry vacuums is the clean-up and maintenance they require — even those with self-cleaning and self-drying features. That said, some wet-dry vacuums have designs that make the process easier or at least less gross. We also determined whether the self-cleaning and self-drying features were efficient or not. Mock reminds us: "If not regularly cleaned, the vac can have a build-up of dirt, debris, etc. which can lead to poorer performance, unpleasant odors, and affect the overall effectiveness of the vac. All this can lead to a shorter lifespan of the wet-dry vacuum."
Wet-dry vacuum FAQS
Can a wet-dry vacuum replace my vacuum?
According to Marla Mock, President of Molly Maid, a Neighborly company, "Wet/dry vacs and mops are all better suited to clean hard floors, while vacuuming is better suited for rugs or carpets. If it's just a quick clean-up, then wet/dry vacs are better since they combine the functionality of both vacuuming and mopping."
Some wet-dry vacuums can be used on low-pile rugs, but most of them can't be used on carpets. So, if you have carpet, you'll absolutely need to keep a vacuum on hand. Vacuums are also multi-functional and can be used to clean cobwebs from the ceiling or used as a hand vacuum to clean messes on your couch. They're also perfect for cleaning up debris quickly, compared to a wet-dry vacuum that takes time to set up and use.
Do vacuum mops actually work?
As surprising as it may seem, vacuum mops can vacuum and mop simultaneously, thereby cutting your house cleaning time down considerably. Some have more features than others that can assist with cleaning more efficiently, easily, or quickly.
Can I use detergent or a cleaning solution with my vac-mop?
Most of the vac-mops we tested come with a small bottle of cleaning solution. Typically, only a small amount of cleaning solution should be added to the water, such as a cap full. Some vac-mops have lines on the clean water container that showcase how much cleaning solution to add. It is not advised to use cleaning detergent or a solution that is not recommended by the vac-mop company itself. For that matter, you don't necessarily need to use a cleaning solution to clean your house with vac-mops every single time. Water is sufficient to clean your floors, especially hardwood.
Is a wet-dry vacuum better than a mop?
It's hard to say if a wet-dry vacuum is better than a mop — it's just different. With a mop, you have to expend a lot more energy and strength to remove stains on the floor. With a wet-dry vacuum, it does the work for you. Some, in fact, have ultra or max modes that expel more water and solution to help break down a tough stain. As Mock suggests, look for wet-dry vacuums with "higher wattage or horsepower, [as it] generally indicates better performances when dealing with wet messes."
That said, she advises folks not to get rid of their mop, as she believes it can provide a deeper clean than a wet-dry vacuum. "For a more thorough cleaning, vacuuming first and then using a mop can be more effective since vacuuming removes debris and dirt, and a mop can focus on removing stains and grime," she explains.
Now to be clear, wet-dry robot vacuums aren't going to give you as deep of a mopping experience as a regular wet-dry vacuum, but they'll keep your house fairly clean between deep cleaning sessions.
Are wet-dry vacuums safe to use on hardwood floors?
Yes, you can use wet-dry vacuums on hardwood floors as long as they're sealed. Some wet-dry vacuums have more water output than others, but among the ones we tested, the water output is not too significant to cause concern. That said, you don't need to mop your hardwood floors more than once a week. Always check to see that the wheels don't cause any scratches on your hardwood floors. That did not occur with any of the wet-dry vacuums we tested. However, we did find some wheels glided more smoothly on our hardwood floors than others, like the rubber wheels on the Tineco S7 Pro. Lastly, some cleaning solutions could damage your hardwood floors over time, so it's probably best to use the cleaning solution provided by the wet-dry vacuum only once a month.
Can you use a wet-dry vacuum on carpets?
A wet-dry vacuum will not replace the best carpet cleaners, and we don't recommend using the wet-dry vacuum for cleaning medium and high-pile carpets. There are some models that can be used on low-pile area rugs like the Bissell Crosswave Pet Pro, Shark HydroVac Messmaster, and the Ecowell Lulu Quick Clean P05. They're designed to not soak the rug but rather to use water and cleaning solution to clean the top fibers and suction some of the water into the dirty water tank. Quick pro tip: clean the rugs first before using the wet-dry vacuum on your hard floors to ensure that you're not moving dust and debris from the hard floors to the rugs.
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